Duterte vows justice for slain OFW in Abu Dhabi

MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte will do everything in his authority to give justice to an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) who was found dead in her workplace in Abu Dhabi, Malacañang said Monday.

Reports showed that the remains of Mary Anne Daynolo, 30, were finally repatriated on Sunday, several days after a suspect reportedly admitted killing her on March 4, 2020 after she went missing in a resort where she worked as a receptionist.

“Ang pangako po ng Presidente mabibigyan po ng hustisya at katarungan ang pagkamatay ng ating kababayang si Mary Ann Daynolo (The President has vowed to give justice over the death of our citizen Mary Ann Daynolo),” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a Palace press briefing.

Roque said the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) is also conducting an autopsy on the Daynolo’s remains.

He also noted that the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) is currently providing assistance to the victim’s family.

“Lahat po ng gastos para ilibing si Mary Ann ay sagot po ng ating OWWA. At magkakaroon din po sila ang financial assistance at death benefit galing po sa OWWA sa takdang panahon (All expenses for the funeral of Mary Ann will be shouldered by OWWA. And they will also be given financial assistance and death benefit from OWWA in due time),” he said.

Asked if the Philippines would review the OFW deployment to United Arab Emirates (UAE) to prevent a similar incident from happening, Roque did not give a direct answer but assured that the government will continue to protect the rights and welfare of Filipino workers worldwide.

“Patuloy ang proseso po ng pagbibigay proteksyon sa ating mga mamamayan na nagtatrabaho sa iba’t ibang parte ng daigdig (The process of providing protection to our citizens who work in various parts of the world continues),” he said.

He said the government would also continue to empower OFWs by educating them on ways to assert their rights as well as providing available mechanisms to redress violations.

“Ang ating pangako po ay hindi naman po tayo magkukulang sa pagbibigay ng education dun sa ating mga kababayan kung anong dapat at hindi dapat gawin habang sila ay nasa abroad at patuloy po ang pagbibigay natin ng serbisyo kung sila po’y maging biktima ng krimen sa ibang bansa (We promise that we will not fail to provide education to our countrymen on what should and should not be done while they are abroad and we will continue to provide services if they become victims of crime abroad),” he said.

Daynolo left Manila for Abu Dhabi in February 2018 and was supposed to return to the Philippines in July 2020 to spend her first vacation after more than two years of working in the Emirates.

After she went missing on March 4, 2020, one of her siblings who also works in the UAE reported the matter to the local police and the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi.

In a tweet last Dec. 11, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. directed the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to do everything it can to find Daynolo even if it sacrifices “all diplomacy.”